Dutch media deliver savage Raheem Sterling verdict as Feyenoord title hopes vanish

Raheem Sterling's struggles at Feyenoord have continued following their latest result

Raheem Sterling suffered another difficult outing as Feyenoord were held to a 0-0 stalemate by FC Volendam at the weekend.

The Dutch side's Sunday draw represented their third in four matches and effectively confirmed PSV as Eredivisie champions for the third consecutive season. The ex-Manchester City and Chelsea forward remains without a goal in six appearances since his February move to Feyenoord after mutually terminating his Blues contract and has faced persistent scrutiny from sections of the Dutch press.

Making his fourth consecutive start under Robin van Persie, Sterling's unremarkable display on the left flank ended when he was withdrawn in the 77th minute as Feyenoord chased a late winner, which never materialised.

Premier League legend Van Persie acknowledged his team's shortcomings after supporters voiced their displeasure with chants of "shame on you", with the former Manchester United striker stating: "We mainly have to look within ourselves.

"We had enough chances to score a goal. As the game progressed, we became sloppier. We should have handled that better. Then you gain a bit more control, and that diminished in the second half. That is entirely our fault."

Here's what the Dutch media made of Sterling's latest showing...

De Telegraaf

The 31-year-old received modest recognition from De Telegraaf despite an overall lacklustre showing, with the publication choosing to highlight his positive positioning before his attempt was thwarted.

Mike Verweij observed: "Raheem Sterling had already missed a huge chance by that time. The left winger actually did everything right, but saw his effort blocked by Ajax loanee Nick Verschuren. The defender celebrated as if he had scored.

AD

Both Sterling and fellow wide man Goncalo Borges faced harsh scrutiny from AD following Feyenoord's frustrating draw. Despite his extensive international pedigree with England, the publication suggested his contributions remain insufficient.

Their assessment read: "With the arrival of 82-time international Raheem Sterling and later managerial advisor Dick Advocaat, everything has been done to push the sporting woes into the background. But Feyenoord continues to struggle.

"In that respect, the match in Volendam was anything but reassuring. Sterling and Borges rarely posed a threat with runs behind the defense, while in one-on-one duels, only central defenders Tsuyoshi Watanabe and Thijs Kraaijeveld really stood their ground. The rest wrestled, just as Feyenoord has struggled for so long."

De Volkskrant

De Volkskrant not only singled out Sterling but the publication mirrored the views of other media outlets in criticising Feyenoord's squandered opportunities, with the former England international amongst several culpable players.

They also highlighted Sterling's lack of impact since his arrival in the Eredivisie, writing: "The Volendam-Feyenoord match on Sunday was of very poor quality, certainly in the first half, laced with few chances.

"Feyenoord had to watch out for the speed of Volendam up front, especially on the wings, with Aurelio Oehlers and Joel Idaho. Feyenoord, watched from the stands by Dick Advocaat, who has been advising Robin van Persie as manager for a few weeks now, relied offensively on the wings on Raheem Sterling, who once again showed little apart from a few actions, and Gustavo Borges, who replaced the injured Anis Hadj Moussa."